Gambling For Second Chances
by Forbiddensoul562
Summary: A new case with a new Kira lurks in the underground world of gangs and mafia members has arisen, and, having nowhere else to turn, Near is forced to take drastic measures. "Welcome back... Mello." Eventual MxN. Plz r&r!
1. Life

A/N: Just like all of my other stories, I barely have any idea where exactly the idea for this series came from. I think I had a dream about a certain scene and then it came to be. Either that, or I started with another question, like… "What if Near and Mello had to work together on a case" and this came out. I don't know…

Dedication/written for: This story is dedicated… eh… I'm writing this story for Iludehcaj because… well… he's been an amazing person to me and put up with all the shit that I've thrown his way. I think he deserves this for that. I tell you all the time, but we gots a connection, you and I, and I cherish that more than you understand! Thanks, man, you're amazing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters in it.

Chapter 1: Life

It's been about a year and a couple months since the end of the Kira case, and in that time things have begun to return to the way they were before. People began to commit crimes again, as the horrors of human beings usually makes them.

Though, this process is slow… for there are many people who still fear that Kira will return and begin punishing criminals again.

This fear in them, and the lack of crimes happening leaves only simple, childish, cases such as finding drug lords or serial killers for me to do. There is no more challenges left to test my ability and to show me that I was really meant to be the next L.

As hard as it is to say at times, Kira was the best criminal there was for this problem… and I beat him.

And while I should be glad for this, and relishing in the fact that I solved the only case that L could not, I just can't anymore, for I have found things to be just as L said.

Solving crimes is a passion, and becomes an addiction.

For a while, a detective is fine with simple cases to solve such as the ones I've been solving recently. But after a while, it becomes a heavy desire for more… harder cases and less evidence to go on in order to bring more of a challenge to the plate.

I have reached this point and it has begun to feel as though each day is becoming more and more monotonous and unbearable.

Each day goes by in the same exact way, without fail.

Every morning I wake up, in a room that is white, cold, and devoid of any life whatsoever. Then I get up, dress in the same white outfit I always wear and head down to the investigation room to begin any case that's waiting for me.

Now, after the Kira case was solved, I inevitably had to disband the SPK after a while and thus get a whole new team on investigators. Well… all except Rester, he stayed with me of course since he's my second in command.

But the rest finally left and I brought in a new team of people for whom I didn't trust in the least, yet could manipulate to do as I wanted. There were mainly only another two that worked immediately with me, however.

Anyway, at night, I would eat something small before turning in to bed at about midnight or later depending on how much I was feigning that the cases held my interest.

Once I was in the confines of my room once again, I would slip under my cold sheets and lay there with my eyes locked on one item.

On the opposite side of the room, parallel to my bed sat my dresser, and on top of that was one lone picture of a certain young, deceased, blonde in a dark wood frame.

I had lied to Mello when I told him that I hadn't made any copies of his photograph. This was the only one though, and I'd never let it out of my sights, so I'd known, at the time, that there was no risk of anyone else getting it.

What could I say though, I always knew somewhere in the back of my mind that Mello would do something that would end his life prematurely. Mello was my only competition, my only equal, and the only one who had really known me. I couldn't let someone like that be left strictly to my memories when I had the ability to change it.

So there I would lie every night, starring upon his younger self in the photograph, and sometimes my wishful thinking would appear from beneath the thick layers of my otherwise logical mind.

I am human after all, I am capable of wishing and hoping even if I know the percentages are not in my favor.

I would wonder and wish that he was up there and could see down to all that I did, all because of the heavy sacrifice he'd made.

Then I would wish that things could somehow be resolved now and he would no longer harbor such a strong hatred for me. As if... his sacrifice and my success at the end of the Kira case had put him at ease. I knew those were hopeless thoughts and probably could never be true, knowing him, but i could never fight the wishing.

These were often the thoughts that put me to sleep at night, and oddly enough I found that I had no problem with that.

I knew when I got up that this morning was not going to be any different from yesterday… there were no alarms buzzing, or the sound of people running on lower floors. There was simply… silence. The same silence of this building that I was no longer sure of if I liked or hated.

But when I finally made it down to the investigation room, I was surprised to see the three members of my immediate team surrounding the back table instead of starting on some case as usual.

I held back my confused look, preferring to make my way over to the head of the table and sit down, drawing one leg up close to me as my grey eyes darted around the table… waiting for someone to speak.

"Good morning, Near." The woman, Allison Logans as I believe was her full name, spoke up with just a bit of nervousness in her tone. She was a small woman with thick dark hair, light skin and brown eyes who was in her late twenties and who had worked in the CIA for an amount of time. But with her quiet personality, one would hardly even guess it.

She was good at what she did… but there were times when I contemplated having Rester dismiss her. Simply because she had a way of being oblivious at times… and that trait annoyed me quite a bit.

"What is going on?" I asked back, wanting no more of this casual act for conversation and instead wanting only to get down to my case for the day.

"Well…" The new male investigator, Richard Joseph said. He was in his early thirties and had short dark blonde hair and green eyes. I wasn't completely sure what he had done before working here… but he was good with maps and good with riddles as well. "Some reports have been filtering in, recently and based upon them…" His voice trailed off.

I exhaled a small breath, hating the way that they were evading my question if even in the smallest of ways. I then looked over at Commander Rester, knowing he would tell me as it was.

He looked back at me before understanding that I wanted to know, now. "Well, as Joseph said, some reports have been coming in within the past couple of weeks… a couple dozen people have all died… of heart attacks."

My attention was instantly spiked.

My mind began to race faster than anyone here could ever hope to follow but I listened as he went on anyway, I wanted to rule this out over everything else. There was no way… we'd made sure…

"What's more interesting is that all of the people who were killed were lower level gang members and the greater majority of these have happened at, or around, the Las Vegas area. We're currently looking into other gang member deaths and trying to see if this could all just be a coincidence."

"But," Joseph said instantly after Rester had finished, "Based on all of this information and everything that we've been told about the events of a year ago… isn't it safe to assume that this could be the working of someone with a Death Note?"

My fingers rose to begin twirling a lock of white hair as I thought it over. Of course this was probably the case… but I didn't want it to be so.

In one way, I'd been desiring a case just like this… and I knew I should take it with grace. But on the other hand, I began to review over the past events that had happened many years ago.

L had taken the Kira case… which is just like this one… and he had made careless mistakes in the hope of luring Kira out, when instead he was giving Kira exactly what he wanted. It had ended up in his death.

Thankfully, I had these events to look back upon and thus I wouldn't fall into the same place L ended.

"Yes… even though I would like to find another reason to explain all of these… in the most realistic situation… I think that this is the reason behind it."

"So what are we going to do about it?" Logans asked in her quiet voice.

I was quiet and continued to twirl my hair… yes it was a good question. What was I going to do about it? I did _not_ want another Kira era to happen when the world was beginning to turn back to the way it had been.

So how did I keep that from happening?

I exhaled another breath, unsure of how exactly I was supposed to tell them that I was unsure of how to start this case.

I stood up from my seat, beginning towards the door. Despite how wrong it all seemed… nothing I did with my hands would be able to help me solve this problem. I wasn't sure what else would help… but I felt like just continuing to move until something came to me.

"Where are you going?" Rester asked.

"I am not sure yet," I answered honestly. "But I will be back." I told them before exiting from the investigation room again.

A/N: So… this was kind of a suck-y place to end this chapter and I'm sorry it was short, but I really didn't want to keep going or else it would end up being about 13 pages. Anyway, let me know what you think! I'm kind of already struggling but I'm hoping that after the first three chapters it will get better. And i have an amazing helper with this story! So I'm sure he'll help me as well! At least... I hope he will.

Oh! Just so people know: I have read the extra chapter that deals with the new Kira and what not, and I realize that that also took place about a year after the Kira case. Well... let's say this happens sometime after those events.

Let me know your thoughts!

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	2. The Burden

A/N: This whole idea for this story was an out of the blue deal… I'm not even really sure why I started it. I mean, even when I told Iludehcaj about it… he said that I should just focus on the numerous projects I've already started. I understand that I'm probably going to end up stressing myself into sickness over all four of these unfinished stories… but does that mean I care? No! This is just too good of an idea for me to pass up!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters! Also, for this chapter as well as any one that follows and it is mentioned in, I do not own the concept of the Life Note.

Chapter 2: The Burden

I wasn't sure where exactly I was going… or why I was going there. Walking was never a big thing with me, and it still wasn't. But I felt the irrepressible need to just continue moving.

I made it out of the main headquarters building and I was instantly filled with the presence of many other Americans around me, as our headquarters was set up in New York… just like the SPK had been.

Normally, I dislike being around other people… especially those that I don't know. But at this moment, it was as if they were not even there.

Before, during the Kira era, I would've never dared step foot outside the building for risk of Kira worshipers getting out of hand.

But, now that things were calm and the real Kira was no longer alive… it felt a bit safer to walk outside.

I'd never been one for the outdoors, and even now the feel of the winter air around me was a foreign concept that I tried not to let overtake me. But now… now that the world was safe from Kira and his idiotic ideals, it felt better to travel just a bit out of my comfort range.

The people hardly noticed me. We were all just trapped within our own heads and in our own worlds. No one else mattered and nothing could break us from our personal world. That's just how this city was sometimes and it was times like these that made me appreciate that.

My legs carried me to a park that was not far from the main building; it was close enough that I could still see it from the entrance.

I began walking inside it just as snow began to fall from the heavens down to the still ground. There was hardly anyone else here and I was thankful for that. The solitude of the surroundings would allow me to be able to think better.

I took a seat on one of the lone benches along the cobbled path and pulled one leg up close to me; my thoughts began to overtake me again, now that I was by myself.

What was I going to do?

How could I attack this case without running the risk of ending at the same fate that L did?

Gangs and the sort were no mystery to me… I had knowledge about how they worked based on what books and teachers had taught to me in past years, but that was it. I'm sure there were still things about that lifestyle that I did not know because it was kept so underground.

So how was I supposed to know what to look out for when things were beyond my knowledge?

It wasn't as though I could send someone in to join one gang or another in order for me to find these things out. No… Rester had said that this Kira was killing off lower-level mafia and gang members… which means that we would run an even higher risk of the person we send in getting caught… or being killed.

'_Hm…'_ I began to think to myself, _'I could begin to look into the victims and where they were before they died first, to see if that has anything to do with it. But I can't put much thought in the assumption that I'll be able to find much more out about these victims. I just don't have those kinds of connections… I wouldn't even know where to begin to look.'_

I sighed, letting my head fall to my awaiting, open hand, though continuing to look out across the park that was beginning to be covered in a soft veil of white.

This was frustrating… I hadn't even officially taken the case yet and already it was proving to be quite the difficultly.

But it was exactly what I had wanted.

I sat there in silence for a few more minutes, my body only lightly shivering as a result of the cold weather that was around me. My eyes drifted listlessly across the park ground, never really seeing the area in front of me yet still recognizing that it was there.

All of a sudden, something caught my eye. Something that was falling from the sky that I instantly knew shouldn't be.

It was white like the snow that cascaded down to the Earth around it… but it wasn't snow. I could only watch in a stoic amazement as it finally plummeted to the ground below, about ten and a half feet away from my position.

I was frozen as my mind told me what it looked like, but I tried not to think about it.

I stood up, my curiosity overriding everything else. If this was, what I thought it was, then it needed to be destroyed before anyone else could get their hands on it.

I cautiously made my way over to it, but stopped a few feet away when my grey eyes observed it.

It was a notebook… just like a Death Note in every single way except one. It was white.

My hands hesitantly picked it up from the snow and turned it over, reading the black print that was engraved into the cover: Life Note. [1]

My brow furrowed together into confusion. I'd dealt with Death Notes, but… I'd never thought such a thing as a Life Note would exist… or be possible for that matter. However, when one looked at the actions that the Death Note brought about… they would think that was not possible as well.

So, maybe something like this was possible after all.

I carefully opened the cover of it, finding it to be extremely thin… with only a few pieces of lined white paper in it on the right. On the left, were the rules… just like the Death Note was designed.

_The Life Note is a naturally occurring event that takes place upon the Earth once every decade; it was made to balance out the Death Note. Because it is naturally occurring in the hope of balance, there is no equal to shinigami attached to it._

_The person who's name is written in this note, will be restored to life._

_The cost of this is half of the writer's remaining life._

_The person who is restored back to life will automatically gain back all of their predetermined time on Earth. If no time was left on this Earth, such as if the person died of natural causes, then they will automatically gain the half of the writer's life that was sacrificed._

_This Note may only be used by the same writer once._

That was all there was… just those four simple rules and a small note about the Life Note's existence.

I looked up at the grey sky, wondering how it could be possible for this to have happened… here… now. It just… didn't make sense at all.

Of coure it was simply a random act, and was, by no means, an act of fate. The notebook had fallen from the heavens above to this place, an area that is normally filled with people. It was just a coincidence that i had happened to be here and that it had happened to drop nearby.

I sighed, knowing that I needed to destroy this Life Note.

It didn't seem as bad as the Death Note had been… but it wasn't as though I could risk it at all. If anyone else got this, who knew who they would decide to bring back from the dead.

I really wanted nothing to do with this notebook, and I really didn't want to take it… but it had to be destroyed, just as the Death Note was. The world should never know of their existences.

With that, I gripped the white notebook tighter to me and began to head out of the park again; my destination was now to return to the headquarters. I'd take the notebook there and destroy it later on.

-

When I got back to the headquarters, I didn't stop in at the investigation room even though I knew my team was probably worried about my whereabouts and probably wanting to know our first plan of action.

I needed to find a safe place for this burden before I returned to them.

The only safe place that I was positive it would not be found at was in my room. No one dared go into my room without my permission, and even if they did they would never go through my things. Everyone within this building understood my privacy and respected it.

I entered into my room and went to my desk that sat on the same wall as the door. There were books piled upon the top of it, and another stack next to the side… it wasn't that I was trying to make the area messy or cluttered… I just needed that many books for research and what not and i preferred to keep them that way.

I pulled open one of the empty top drawers and carefully slipped the notebook inside, face down so that, if anyone _did_ open this drawer, all they would see if a white notebook… and I doubted anyone would be suspicious of that.

After slipping the drawer closed once again I sighed… I had to get back to the team and try and figure this case out now.

The entire way back to the investigation room I contemplated this case… considering what actions I should take first and what I would do if those ones did not work. Second guessing my own actions… it sounded insecure… but it was the safest thing to do in case things did not go the way I wanted them to right off the bat.

The moment I entered into the room, every pair of eyes fell onto me, but I didn't look at any of them and only continued to act as though nothing was wrong. I crossed the room over to where a large brown box was and sat down in front of it, then opening the top of it and pulling out the first smaller box that was inside.

Dice.

I'd had Rester go out and get my some more boxes of dice a couple of days ago, but I suppose maybe he hadn't gotten them till today. It was fine… I hadn't completely needed them until today anyway.

The eyes were still on me, but I tried to pay no mind as I began building the base to what would be the first building of an entire city.

"Near… sir?" Rester started, speaking up for the rest of the room.

"We'll begin the case now." I said, cutting him off so he could neither ask where I had gone or what I had done. I did not want to discuss anything about my time outside of this building. I wanted to start this case… I wanted to solve it myself.

"Yes." He said with a small amount of defeat evident in his words as he turned back to the computer screen he'd previously been looking at.

"What are we to do first?" Logans said as she threw her brown hair over her shoulder and turned back to the screen she was sitting in front of.

"Pull up the list of victims." I said, looking up from the small base I'd begun to build to watch as a list of twenty ragged looking men's pictures with names under them appeared. I quickly memorized the look of each of them but noticed nothing of obvious similarity between them.

"Show me the gangs or the mafia teams that they were in." I said next, watching the screen as my fingers blindly placed another die into place.

There was the quick sound of clicking on the keyboard but only a couple of the pictures gained titles underneath the names. "That's hard information to find, Near." Joseph said. "We haven't been able to figure out a lot about the victims other than who they really are based on previous records."

I exhaled a heavy breath. "I understand." Yes… I'd expected something like this. "Pull up a map showing where each of the bodies were found."

Joseph was the one to type things in this time, which wasn't surprising, and within a moment a map of Las Vegas appeared up on the front screen, different red dots were scattered around the area.

I eyed the entire thing, trying to find some connection between all of the dots… but they were completely random.

"Please bring up a grid over the map." I asked, feeling the slight confusion coming over my features. I was hoping that by having a more prominent grid over the map and seeing where each of the dots fell on it, it would show me if there was something in the placement of where all the victims were found.

Unfortunately, once the grid was in place it all still looked randomized.

I sighed to myself… this was going to be a very difficult case indeed.

A/N: Hm… I always thought that writing a crime story would be difficult because you always have to be about 10 steps ahead of the reader and work backwards (know who did it, how they did it, then what the clues were, ect) but… surprisingly this is already beginning to come out quite easily. Maybe it's because Near is confused now. I'm not sure.

1: Yes… I am aware that there is a rule in the Death Note that says that once a person is dead they cannot come back or whatever. Well… perhaps that rule doesn't exist in this story. And i know that _someone_ is going to give me hell about having it in the story but, before that person does, think it over a minute and remember that this Life Note isn't going to be playing a major role in the story. It's main reason for being there is simply to bring Mello back. That's it.

Let me know what you think!

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	3. Trying To Understand

A/N: Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing thus far! Heh, I was really nervous about posting this in the first place, but all the reviews are very comforting, to know that people like it and what not. Anyway… what else can I say in this note… hm… Well… I've been planning out what's going to happen and I think it's going to have a realistic flow now. Which is grand, because if it didn't I would be quite irritated.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, or any of the characters.

Chapter 3: Trying To Understand

It'd been three days since I'd taken on this new Kira case and, in that time, I'd hardly gotten any further with it than I had on the first day. There was simply too much that was deeply hidden underground that I could not get too.

Multiple times I considered sending someone in to join one of the mafia teams if only to find _anything_ out for me. But I understood that it was too dangerous; I was not willing to send anyone out on a mission that I knew was clearly suicide.

I tried doing the best that I could with the information that I had. I knew who each of the victims were… and thankfully this Kira wasn't killing people as quickly as the original one always had. With this one, there was only about one victim found per day or two.

I knew where they were found… I knew their general location before their deaths but… beyond that things were a mystery.

What they had been doing, who they had spoken to… it was all well covered up.

Thus is the nature of the mafia and underground gangs.

Now, it was night again, and I was dreading going back to my room to let so many hours pass me by that I could be using for work. But I was tired… with even the slightest action my body screamed out for me to just rest.

But I was busy trying to eat something before I rested as my body desired for me to. There was a small bowl of cereal in front of me that I felt the need to play with more than eat.

My eyes starred down at the milk and the multi-colored pieces in it, but I wasn't really seeing it. My mind was still at work… trying to find some lead that I had missed before.

Casually, I began stacking each of the pieces onto my spoon in a neat tower, holding it still in the air to marvel at the way it never faltered. It felt as though, with the way my mind was quickly thinking, the rest of me should show some effects of this… but there was none. My hand was able to hold the spoon still and the tower of cereal never faltered.

All of a sudden, Rester walked over to the table I was sitting at and sat down. I thought I'd dismissed him earlier… but he was always a bit stubborn… or perhaps that was just cautiousness?

He watched me for a moment with questioning eyes and I knew exactly what he was thinking, 'Must you play with your food as well?'

I decided to answer his question aloud since I figured any outward expression would never truly show him the answer I wanted to convey. "I only do it when I'm thinking." I stated. "People back at the institution used to get on me about it as well."

I knew that if I didn't say the last part, he would ask me what I was thinking about and then I would have to admit that I didn't know what I was going to look for tomorrow. I would rather reveal to him about my life back at Wammy's over telling him of my faltering mind.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes." I ate one of the pieces off the top of my tower. "It was never really enforced because they wanted each child to find the best thing that helped them think… but that didn't stop them from telling me not to. Though… most of the time it was the other orphans who had a problem with it… one in particular, though."

I let my tower of cereal pieces fall back to the waiting milk as he answered, "Who?"

"Mello, Commander Rester, Mello." I looked up to him to register his reaction.

He was taken back a bit… which surprised me. I was sure that based on everything that had happened, especially the meeting that had happened between Mello and myself back at the SPK building so long ago, that he would understand the relationship that had been set between us.

"He would get irritated with it quite often; even more so when I did not stop. I believe that he did it mainly so he would have a reason to yell at me or have another reason to hate me." I explained.

"I… guess that makes sense."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Then please explain it to me." He was silent, so I decided to go on. "Even now, years after times such as those I still have a hard time understanding why he did many of the things he did."

Rester continued to stay silent, and I continued to watch him; I didn't mind the tense silence that filled the room at all. It was all to see his reaction, after all.

Finally, when he said nothing more I exhaled a small breath and stood up from the table, leaving my hardly touched bowl there. "Thank you for listening, Commander Rester," I said as I made my way to the door, "That was a nice talk."

He said nothing more and I exited out into the silent, dark hall.

The entire building was designed in metal… violent, jagged metal everywhere that hardly made this place seem anymore homey despite how many of us lived here.

But, then again this building served one main purpose, and that was to work. However, at night I had to admit… if I wasn't so sure that there were _only_ a select number of people still residing here, I would not be freely traveling the halls as I was now.

I had to constantly remind myself that this building was mine… that our security would not be breached by anything and that things would be fine here.

The thoughts sounded childish and stupid… and yet I could not fight them no matter how many times I walked the halls.

Back in the safety of my room, I left the lights off and looked around. My eyes were adjusted to the dark by now and I could clearly make out each piece of furniture that was here.

My body said to rest… but my mind said that there was something else that I had to take care of first.

I sat down at my desk, flipping on the desk light positioned there that lit the top of the desk well yet set the rest of the room in dark, harsh shadows; then I opened the top drawer… the one I hadn't touched in three full days.

I pulled out the white notebook and looked over the pristine cover of it, my eyes memorizing everything and never missing a detail.

'_Why have I not burned this yet?'_ I asked myself, gently running my fingers over it. This thing needed to be burned… no one should ever come in contact with it.

I opened another drawer, slightly lower than the one I had had the notebook in, and pulled out a rather large box of matches. I had them, as well as other things, in that drawer so I could make towers and cities on my desk as I read or worked.

But this time, I took out a single match and struck it against the side, instantly lighting a small fire on the stick. I grabbed the notebook and held the corner of it just above the fire, watching as the flame licked teasingly at the white material.

The flame continued to burn, running down the stick and getting closer and closer to my fingers and yet still I hadn't connected the corner of this book to the fire.

It was no longer a question of why I _hadn't_ burned this notebook… it was why I _couldn't_ burn it.

I blew out the match before the flame could touch my fingers and threw away the match; my eyes instantly turning back to the book I was still holding.

Why was I holding onto this? It was another threat to the human race if fallen into the wrong hands… and yet I couldn't find the ability to destroy it.

Why?

With a slightly irritated sigh, I replaced the notebook in the desk. I had had enough of its intimidating stare without offering me any answers. Perhaps tomorrow night I would have the ability to destroy it.

I flicked off the lights, once again flooding my room in darkness and made my way over to my bed, crawling underneath the white sheets and hugging them close to me. My body was finally relieved.

After a moment of silence with my eyes closed… I realized that sleep would not reach me. All the events of the days mixed with the irritation of what had just happened kept me from finding that rewarding comfort.

I let my eyes open and they instantly found the photograph sitting on the dresser. I watched as Mello's aqua blue eyes starred back at me with that knowing, almost superior look that he was giving to whoever had been taking the picture. His lips were just barely turned up in a small smirk that only furthered the emotion on his face.

"Don't look at me that way." I said. "It can't be my fault that I am unable to burn that book. There has to be another reason that I have not found yet."

I stopped in place, though my eyes never moved from the spot, as I realized exactly what I was doing.

I exhaled a heavy breath, readjusting the way I was laying and forcing my eyes to close once again, willing sleep to take my exhausted body.

'_I need sleep… the fatigue and stress must be getting to me seeing as I've turned to talking to a photograph.'_

A/N: Heh, I guess I like the way that chapter turned out. I think it was done kind of good. I only have a brief idea about what is going to go into the next chapter, but we'll see what happens maybe I'll have a sudden burst of inspiration or something. One can only hope…

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	4. A Destroying Decision

A/N: Hm… I didn't think it would be this difficult. I procrastinated a bit on this chapter because I was unsure what exactly to put into it. I know what inevitably needs to come out of this chapter… but I'm unsure of how to get to it. I've tried playing the case out in my mind, but for some reason it just won't happen as easily as usual. Perhaps I'm suffering from the same fatigue Near was last chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters.

Chapter 4: A Destroying Decision

Even I was surprised by how long I had been able to keep up the façade that showed that I knew what I was doing. I was surprised by how many fake leads I could create for my team to follow, all the while mentally trying to find the right one.

For an entire week this process continued. Create a fake lead, let them trail it, hit a dead end, create another one.

But by the end of this, I knew… I had to do something else to bring in new evidence for me to go on. New victims were coming in almost every other day and I was no closer to finding a way to stop it.

The thought of sacrificing one of the team members just to get new information was beginning to look more and more friendly.

Such drastic and reckless ideas only furthered the fact that I wasn't sure what I was going to do.

In reality there was just nothing else that I could use to get me any further on this case. I had the list of victims, I had the location of where they were found dead, I had a few of their prison records and I knew what a few of them had been doing before they died.

That was it… which wasn't enough information for me to go on anymore.

I knew that the smart thing to do now would be to move to Las Vegas and begin investigating more properly there. But… something told me I needed to be sure that there was nothing more I could do here first.

I was laying upon the ground in the investigation room, one hand locked around one of my robots while my eyes were angled up to watch the front screen. Rester and the others were pursuing a fake lead that I'd made and I occupied myself with watching everything they did in order to see if they accidently came across something useful.

"Near… sir." Logans suddenly spoke up, looking over her shoulder at me.

I didn't say anything and instead let her continue.

"Wouldn't it make more sense to continue this investigation there?"

Yes… it would make more sense… but again, I wasn't sure what more we would be looking for there. Kira doesn't need to be anywhere near his victims in order to kill them… so it's not like he was going to be anywhere near them.

"That does make sense," I answered, "However, I would prefer to do what we can from here first before moving there."

"I see." She said quietly, turning back to the computer, and yet, there was a hint in her voice that said she was still not satisfied with that answer. I knew she wouldn't be… but it was the only thing I could say.

She was probably speaking for everybody… they were all getting a bit suspicious and I knew it… nor did I blame them.

I sighed, rolling onto my stomach as my mind went into thought.

I could no longer do this game and pretend like I was going to get somewhere with it. Something needed to be done to fix this constant circle and get us on the proper road to solving this case.

But what?

I exhaled a breath, bringing the robot I was holding in front of me and beginning to collide it with another one, partly to give me something to do with my hands and partly to signify my frustration.

What was I going to do?

I had limited knowledge of this… and there was hardly anything I could do to fix that.

In order to fix it… I would need proper insight into these gangs and mafia teams. I would need someone who understood how all of this works and who could get us in if that was needed. I needed someone who'd dealt with this before instead of just taking information from an outsiders view. I needed…

I stopped instantly… my robot freezing as well as I forced my mind to not finish that sentence… because I knew that if I did… I would not like what it ended up being.

But, sadly enough, it could be true. As hard as it was for me to admit… there was a part of me that understood that there was no other way that I could do this. I simply did not have the resources to do it on my own.

I sighed… knowing that there was much that I needed to consider now.

One thing was sure though… I was positive that this needed to be done. No matter how much it affected me, it was little in comparison to the need I had to solve this case.

I stood up suddenly, and every pair of eyes looked at me in wonder, but I couldn't meet any of their stares. I felt ashamed for the actions that I felt I was being dragged into doing by my own conscious mind.

I shouldn't have to do this… in a way it felt like losing. But… there was just no other way around it now. And in the very least… perhaps there was something else that I could get out of this whole thing –something good.

I exited from the investigation room without a single word to any of them, and then made my way to my room. I needed to pack now… and try not to think about what I was going to do.

The white backpack that I decided to use was hardly big enough to store all that I needed, but I didn't plan on being gone that long and thus I decided that something small was all I would need. I packed the necessities, a change of clothes, toiletries, and some robots before turning slowly to my desk.

The desk that still held the burden that I'd yet to destroy.

I opened the drawer and took the white notebook out, looking upon its clean surface once more as my mind wondered why I hadn't found the will to destroy it yet. Though, part of me was glad that I hadn't… it was the reason for my travels now.

I packed it in the bag along with everything else then zipped the entire thing closed.

Quietly, I made my way back to the investigation room, carrying the small white backpack I had packed in my hand.

Upon my entrance, again everyone looked at me, but my eyes went straight to Logans. "Logans," I said formally, "Please book me a flight to leave at the closest time possible."

Then my eyes went to Rester, "Rester, please take me to the airport."

He didn't move at all, his confused eyes just continued to watch me, "Where do you plan on going?" He asked with general wonder in his voice. He was concerned… I could hear that as well, and to be honest I didn't blame him. With the threat of a new Kira out there of course he had the right to be a bit concerned about me leaving somewhere.

"England." I said simply.

A/N: Wow… that was a short chapter. But… I really struggled with it, just as I thought I would. There was only so much I could have Near do at this point and I couldn't seem to find any words that would be realistic. Anyway… I'm guessing that the next two chapters will probably be a bit easier since I have them all planned. Anyway, let me know what you think.

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	5. The Feeling of Being Home

A/N: Ah, so I'm hoping that this chapter will be better, as well as longer than the previous one was since I've had it planned for a couple of days now. The one after this will be even easier… but I'm not revealing anything. You'll all just have to read and see what happens.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters that are in this. Well… except the two new members of the SPK team, I do own them.

Chapter 5: The Feeling of Being Home

It was about three hours later and I was seated comfortably in a first-class seat on a plane directed to England. When I looked out my window I saw the dark Atlantic Ocean, and watched as it moved past our plane at speeds I dared not try and calculate.

I hated flying more than anything… the thought that at any moment something could happen and there was little to no chance of survival did not sit well with me. I found no comfort in planes at all.

Yet, despite that, I could not tear my eyes away from the ocean below.

Sure, I had toys in my bag that sat at my feet which could easily occupy me, but I knew that I had too much to think over to even begin to hope for a distraction.

So instead I watched the plain and repetitive scenery outside my window and thought over everything that I was planning on doing.

There was a lot to consider.

Was I really willing to do such a reckless and drastic thing even though there were certainly other things that I could do instead?

And why was I so willing to do this? What did I hope to gain from this when I knew things could turn against me in an instant and it'd all be for nothing? There was a high risk of something of that sort happening.

I looked down at my bag, where the Life Note sat inside, awaiting to be used by someone.

Then my eyes looked back out the window and I exhaled a small breath. I was never a 'what if' kind of person but I had to wonder… what if the Life Note had never fallen in that park, where would I be? What would I be doing?

But, in the end, it didn't matter, because it had happened and it had led me to this moment. It had led me to take drastic measures and had led me to realize that I was willing to give up half of my remaining life…

If only to solve this case… and to get a second chance.

-

I fell asleep on the plane, and thus was unsure about how long I spent on it. I estimated that it was at least between eight and ten hours considering how it had been late afternoon, nearing dusk, when I left New York and it was morning when I arrived in England.

I made my way through the airport nervously and a bit frightened. Rester had promised to hire someone to pick me up here at the airport and take me to where I needed to go, but I had to make my way to the entrance to the airport by myself.

I hated having to do it on my own. I would much prefer to have someone, anyone, there… for reasons that I had trouble understanding.

I simply followed the crowd, and every once and a while watching the signs in order to be sure that the waves of people were taking me to the exit.

Once I reached the front of the building, I looked around, desperate to find whoever it was that was getting me and leave this crowded building. I pleaded that Rester had kept to his word and hadn't left me stranded here.

Though, I had faith in him… he understood that I did need someone and surely would keep his promise.

I walked down to one side a bit more, scanning each of the people until finally I saw one gentleman standing by the glass, sliding door holding a sign that said, 'Near' on it.

'_Thank you, Commander Rester.'_ I thought to myself as I made my way over to him.

The gentleman, a tall Brit with disheveled brown hair and matching brown eyes who adorned dark, yet presentable clothing, eyed me, "Are you Near?" He asked.

"Yes." I said simply, watching him with a stoic expression.

"I'm here to take you to Winchester." He stated obviously.

"Yes, I figured that much."

He paused for a moment before nodding, "Alright… well… do you have any more baggage that needs to be collected?" He asked, looking up and in the direction of the baggage claim.

"No," I readjusted my bag that I had been holding in one hand over to the other, "This is all I have; I am not staying in Winchester long." I stated.

He nodded again then turned to the door, and motioning for me to follow.

I did so and he continued to talk, beginning to explain things about England to me. I tuned it all out for I already knew about everything he was saying and more, so I had no interest in listening to his words.

Instead, I watched the doors slide open and felt the wave of cold, familiar, air hit me. It felt like home. It was like after being away from something so loved and familiarized, then suddenly being thrust back into it again… one simply finds the flow and goes with it much easier than if it was a new, foreign, land.

I had not been back to England in a long time… and it felt good to be able to breathe its air and smell the scents that were reserved only for its lands again.

The man led me to his taxi car and I settled myself in the back, watching, while he drove off, as the lands passed me by. I vaguely remembered it from when I had left so long ago.

All in all, it felt good to be back.

-

Winchester was no different than London had been. It felt wonderful to see the land that I had grown up at. Though, as we got closer and closer to my destination I could feel myself growing nervous.

I wasn't sure what to expect now. It felt as though I'd been gone for ages.

"So," The driver suddenly said, drawing my attention off the passing land and onto him, "What business do you have in Winchester?"

I did not look away from the window but decided that I would answer his questions to be best that I could, considering the fact that I did not want to give too much information away to someone I did not know.

"I am visiting." I stated.

"Who?"

I wasn't sure how to answer this… what exactly I considered the people there. Were they friends? Or family? I was unsure… I'd never given it much thought before.

"Just… some people. Very close people." I finally said.

"You're not much of a talker, are you?" He asked, and I could feel his eyes looking through the rearview mirror, back at me.

"No." I was done talking to this person. He meant nothing to me and needed to know nothing more than I had already told him. It was not that I was trying to be un-personable; I just did not desire talking to this stranger about those matters.

After another ten minutes we finally drove up the familiar path that led to the only home I'd ever really known, and to the place that I had grown up at.

Wammy's House.

It looked no different than it had when I'd left, except that now it was covered in a veil of white snow, just like it always was at this time of year. But even so that did not take away from its mesmerizing appearance.

When we pulled up, I stepped out with my bag in hand and allowed the man to drive off. I supposed Rester had already paid him, or would do so later, for he did not ask me for any money.

I starred up at the building that was my home and felt a bit of nervousness come over me again. I wasn't sure what I should expect now. What had changed in the number of years that I had been gone?

I took the steps up to the door but paused momentarily. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do now… did I just walk right in? It was my home, after all… shouldn't I be considered familiar enough to do so?

But I'd also been gone for so long… perhaps being formal was the best option.

So I chose that method, giving a knock on the door that was quiet, and yet loud enough that I figured someone might hear it.

Within a few moments, the door opened and young boy with freckles on his face and light brown hair appeared in the opening. He looked up at me, confused, for a long moment before his eyes widened.

"You're L!" He said, absolutely stunned.

I lightly shook my head, "No, I'm Near." Sure, people who inquired for my detective services referred to me as L because they knew no better and that is who they were told I was. But I did not want the orphans of Wammy's to think I was L… I was not as great as the original L had been.

"Near?" He asked, confused.

I nodded, "I need to speak to Roger." I stated.

The small boy was hesitant for a moment before he finally opened the door and let me in.

The whole of Wammy's, as I could see it when I stepped in, had not changed since my time here. Everything looked completely the same and in the same place as it had always been.

Though, in a way that did not surprise me in the least, for even I realized while I was here that this place seemed to be almost frozen in its own time and world. The events that shook the rest of the world meant hardly anything to us –and in a sense, it was as if it all didn't even matter.

The boy began to lead me back to Roger's office as if I needed the guide.

Originally, it was planned that Roger would serve as Watari for me when I took over as L, and he had done so for a while. But then, a couple of months into it, the new head of Wammy's contacted him and informed him that he couldn't take anymore and was going to quit.

This forced Roger to go back to England and take over for him. He had said that he would return once he'd found someone to take his place, but currently that had not happened. It made no difference to me; I could get someone at headquarters to do that.

I understood that even though Roger disliked children, he still had a connection to Wammy's that was not easily broken. I understood his need to be here. He ran Wammy's well, I doubted anyone else could do it better, unless it was Quillish.

Once we'd reached the office the boy left me and I lightly knocked on the door, awaiting for him to answer and to begin to answer my questions.

A/N: I'm not really sure why I decided to play the mysterious card with this chapter, you know… holding out on saying that Wammy's was where Near was going. I'm sure everyone already knew that. But when I wrote this, that's just how it came out. Anyway, so as you see next chapter will be between Roger and Near. Though, don't think that that's all that will happen because you just never know with me.

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	6. Harbored Feelings of Loss

A/N: Alright, so I'm not sure what happened. I didn't get any reviews for the last chapter, which is very depressing. I don't understand. Did I do something wrong with it? Was there something wrong with it? I don't know… but I'm posting this one to see if anyone is kind enough to review it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters that are in here!

Chapter 6: Harbored Feelings of Loss

When the door to Roger's office opened, he stood there for a moment, looking stunned to see me. This wasn't surprising, I'm sure my sudden visit was anything but what he was expecting.

"Near!" He said happily. "What are you doing back here?"

"I came to talk." I stated plainly.

He wasn't taken back by this, I'm sure he was still so used to this kind of thing. "Don't you have a case to work on, or something else to do? This is certainly a surprise. Come in." He moved back into his offered and motioned for me to enter.

I did so and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, though this was only after contemplating sitting on the floor just as I used to do here. I pulled my leg up close to me and let my fingers find a lock of white hair as I spoke, "Yes, I do have a case, but I needed to come and speak with you."

He sat down at his desk, giving me an inquisitive look, "About what?"

I looked down… unsure. What had I come to talk to him about? I knew what my main business here was… but I also felt the need to talk to him as well. About what, though, I couldn't figure out.

I looked around the room then, remembering the last time I had been in this room. I'd been here with _him_ and we'd received the worst news a student at Wammy's could ever get.

It was _him_ who'd created the scene and made a big deal out of something that should have been so simple. _He_ was the one who had set things in motion and ultimately signed us to the trail that we had followed… and seen the end of.

It was all _his_ fault.

I sighed, coming back to the present. "They refer to me as L?" I asked, hoping that he understood that I needed a bit of time to collect my thoughts.

"They consider you the _new_ L, Near." He said.

"And the real L?"

"They consider him either the _old_ L, or the original L. They know who he was and they understand that they are the third generation of candidates up to succeed."

"So they're already competing." I said, looking up at him.

"Of course, we can never be too sure of when things might happen." He stated, and I had to agree… even now, I wasn't sure how much longer I could be L.

"So, who is the first in line now?" I asked almost silently, though with a hidden wonder in my tone. I was genuinely curious who it was that would be taking over for me and carrying on the L name.

Roger smiled and stood up, "Come on, I'll show you."

I stood up as well and followed him out of his office and once again into the hall that was almost completely devoid of children.

"It's funny," He said as we walked, "The new successors are very much like you and Mello used to be. They're both very close in score, and they hate each other; partly for that reason, I'm sure." He stated as he led me down the hall towards where the library was.

I contemplated saying something, but we reached the room before I could decide.

"There." Roger said, motioning through the glass door into the quiet library where a single girl was sitting at a table full of books. "Her name is Joy; she is a bit like you."

I watched the girl, her shoulder length black hair hanging almost in her face as her light-skinned face was pointed down at the book she had open, which kept me from seeing anything more about her. She was wearing a dark blue dress, and sat quite fancily in the wooden chair with the lower part of her legs crossed and seated far back in the chair. She looked like an interesting, and quiet character.

"She enjoys learning, and solving riddles, and she's quiet… though she does have a bit of a tongue on her when she wants to." He continued on as I observed her. "Would you like to go talk to her?" He asked, looking back at me.

I shook my head. Things were supposed to stay as they always were here, and I was supposed to carry on the L name and everything that he was. I wanted this to include the knowledge that they were competing to be someone great, and yet never really know _who_ that person was. Needless to say, I wanted to remain invisible.

"And the second?" I asked, turning back to Roger.

"Oh, his name is Sky. He's probably up in his room trying to stay away from Joy for as long as he can. If he comes down later I'll show you." He stated.

"I understand," I said as we began walking back towards his office.

But I stopped the moment we reached the entrance way, "I want to see him." I stated; instantly making Roger stop in place and look back at me in wonder.

"Who?" He asked.

"I would like to see Mello now." I said in a monotone voice, surprised by how hard the words were to say.

Roger's expression noticeably deepened and a small look of sadness pressed upon his features. "Yes… alright. I figured you might at some point." He turned back and led the way out the front door, out into the cold weather, once more.

I followed him silently; unsure of what there was to say to him now. I was too caught up in my own thoughts to really think of what there was to say in this kind of situation.

Roger led the way to the far side of the clearing that Wammy's was built on, to a clear spot just before the start of the woods. There were two graves set up here… one was for L, though it was a fake since he had been buried in Japan. The other, a few feet to the right was Mello's.

After both Mello and Matt's bodies had been taken by officials… it had been difficult for them to identify them since all their files had been destroyed years ago. So I had been the one to go and identify them and have them sent back here… in order to be buried upon Wammy grounds.

Nothing else seemed right for them.

It was difficult for me to stand there in front of his grave and know that he was under the ground now. I'd always known that my equal was gone… but in a sense I'd never really accepted or come to a realization of that.

I'd watched the church that he was in burn, and I'd seen his charred body, but I did not witness him being put into the ground. I did not come to terms with the fact that someone that close to me was gone forever.

I had just taken and falsely accepted it within a moment's time. I was not even aware that I really harbored as much sadness for the loss as I felt right now.

It was hard to stand there and think to myself that he was lying there… under six feet of dirt and I was here… alive and living on without him and everything he'd previously brought to my life.

Acting upon pure impulsions, I knelt down in the snow and let my fingers reach out to touch the engravings upon his cross-shaped tombstone.

_Mihael "Mello" Keehl  
12/13/1989 - 1/26/2010_

That's all it said. There was no quote underneath to show what kind of person he was, or any simple design made for him… it was just those plain, tradition markings. That was not suited for him in the least.

"He was the closest person you had…" Came Roger's soft, sadness filled voice.

I could hardly find the ability to say anything back to him. Starring upon the grave of my equal was hard and I could barely hold myself together anymore. Just the thought of it all… everything that happened, everything he was, everything I'd lost when that church went up into flames… it was all things that I had never thought on before.

"You were wrong, Roger." I finally said, trying to hold a monotone voice as best that I could. "Mello hated me… but I did not hate him."

I didn't want to go into details… mainly because I knew that if I opened my mouth anymore and allowed more words about him to come out, I would probably say many things that did not make sense to me.

Explaining what he was to me… what he'd done… they were all simply mysteries that I would rather keep selfishly to myself.

"I know." Roger said. "Mello was one of the most unique children I've ever come across. His personality was on both sides of the spectrum, he could be calm, kind, and deductive at times, and angry and full of raging emotions the next. And there were times where I often wondered what it was that made him jump from one to the other."

My fingers were continuing to trace the letters as he spoke of things I already knew. I would never admit it, because I believed that both of us already knew the answer to some degree, but it was _me _that made him jump from one side to the other.

In one moment he would be calm and collected as he studied hard and attempted to beat me… and the next he'd be angry when I still did better than him. Everything he did was centered around how much better he was than those around him, and part of me believed it was all about how much better he was than _me_. Seeing how I was the only one that stood between him and his ultimate goal, anyhow.

"You know," Roger continued. I just wanted him to be silent… I wanted things to be calm around here and I wanted to be able to think… now that I was so close. "L always believed that eventually the two of you would realize how much you needed to work together in order to be a perfect detective."

"That was quite a stupid belief on his part." I stated. "Though, I can hardly blame him since he never witnessed us together first-hand. Perhaps if he had witnessed it himself than he would have realized that Mello was too stubborn for that."

Roger was silent.

"Mello wanted to be L by himself… he wanted to know that he could do it on his own… being L with me would be like defeat to him, just as it would had our ultimate positions been reversed and _I_ was the one who died instead of him, thus giving him the information needed to get Kira. It simply wouldn't be the same as if he had done it on his own." I explained.

"Yes," Roger agreed, "That's right."

We stayed there for a few more minutes, a soft, tranquil silence filling the air around us. I could've stayed like that for a longer time, just looking upon the stone and letting all the memories overtake me. Just Mello and myself… that's all there somehow seemed to be here.

However, I could quickly feel myself beginning to succumb to the cold weather around me.

Finally, Roger spoke up again, "Why don't we go inside and we'll get something warm to drink and talk some more." He offered.

I nodded, standing up and tearing my eyes away from the grave that had held so much of my attention.

I began following Roger back, but I couldn't help the thought that was sent back to the place I had just left, _'I'll be back later.'_

A/N: Ah… so that actually did come kind of naturally. I liked it, especially when Near was visiting Mello's grave. I tried desperately not to make it sound like Near liked (or loved, whichever word you want to use) Mello. He doesn't right now. He just respects him and understands the effect Mello had on his life. Or… I would go as far as to say that he likes Mello but he doesn't realize it yet. I don't know.

Thanks to _My_ Mello for giving me the insight into Mello's character and about why he does what he does. I would have never thought of it the way you do! Your words were so helpful.

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	7. To Get a Second Chance

A/N: This is going to be the best chapter for me to write and yet also the hardest in the sense that I have so many ideas flowing through my head and no planned way for them to come out. So, hopefully it will be good. I've been wanting to write this chapter since even before I started writing the story!

Thanks to Thexamimi for giving me all the permissions I need and such. I'm desperately hoping that this doesn't sound like your story. Not because I didn't like yours, just… well, you understand.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, any of the characters, the concept of the Life Note, and (if this is needed) it is not intended for this to sound anything like Thexamimi's story Bring You Back. If it does, I apologize.

Chapter 7: To Get A Second Chance

Later on that evening, after I was positive that everyone within Wammy's was asleep, is when I decided that I would carry this whole thing out.

Thankfully, Roger had offered to let me stay the night here since I told him I would be leaving early tomorrow, because of this, I had reason to remain on Wammy grounds.

So, once I was sure everything was silent, and that everything was going to remain as such, I slipped out of the bed I'd been laying in. Roger had offered me a bedroom that was used for one of the officials who was, currently, absent from work and I had gladly taken it.

I silently made my way over to the dresser that was on the other side of the room and opened the drawers, rummaging through them until I found a pair of jeans and a black top. Thankfully, whoever normally occupied this room was a male.

I carefully folded the clothes, not even bothering to give a second thought to the fact that I was taking someone else's clothes, then grabbed my white bag, and made my way out of the room.

I slipped down the hall as quietly as I could; never once hitting any of the loose floorboards. I'd previously memorized where each one was so I could avoid them easily. I made my way down the stairs in the same manor and out the front door.

It was freezing outside and for a moment I wished I'd brought a jacket for myself. But I quickly dismissed that thought as I made my way over to the grave area where Mello and the fake L grave was.

Gently, I kneeled down in the snow and once again looked upon the surface of the stone; I began to consider everything that I was about to do.

'_If I have sixty years left alive,_' I thought to myself, _'Then I'll only have thirty after this. But that's being optimistic. Perhaps I have as little as a year left. Then… then I'll only have six months left. And it doesn't help me that I have no way of knowing how much I am going to be giving up.'_ I sighed. I didn't like this at all… not in the slightest.

Then, I looked over at where the fake L grave was. I thought about how this was the same as if I was giving up on what I have on this case and reaching out for a hint that would otherwise never exist.

I knew that the real L would never do this. He hadn't needed such a thing when he dealt with Kira… so why should I?

But I did… I did need to take this hint. Everything was playing against me in a way that they had not when L dealt with the original Kira. He would never do this because he had never needed to as I did now.

So, with that, I sighed heavily and carefully set the pile of clothes behind me. I then took out the Life Note from my backpack which was sitting about a foot away, as well as a pen.

I opened the cover and looked at the clean page in front of me… I had no idea how any of this was going to work since the instructions inside this notebook were quite vague.

I gripped the pen tighter in my numbing fingers and pushed it to the page, for once throwing caution to the wind and deciding to just go with what I knew I needed to do.

With a quick intake of breath that I held in my lungs, as if it was a desperate attempt to preserve my life for just a moment longer, should anything bad happen, I scribbled down on the page: _Mihael Keehl._

Then, once it was fully written I closed the note and replaced it back within the bag. A simple way to hide the evidence… and an attempt to make it look like it had never existed.

My eyes slipped closed as I let my breath, which I had still been holding, out into a cloud of white air and let my fingers clench together on my legs that were folded up underneath me.

I continued to wait moment after painful moment. My heart slammed in my chest, harder as the seconds passed and the worry that something was wrong, or that it would not work, became more present within me.

Every second was an eternity to me since I had no idea how long it was supposed to take for something like this to happen. Forty seconds like the Death Note took to kill someone? Or maybe longer?

I wasn't sure, and I had already lost enough time in the worry of the moment to begin counting.

So all there was for me to do was to wait through each painstakingly long second, which was then followed by another long second.

Then… all of a sudden, I heard something. It was the sound of something touching on the snow a few feet behind me. _'Please,'_ I pleaded to anyone out there that was listening, _'Please be…'_

"Near." I suddenly heard.

And in that moment my entire being dropped from the high worrying level I'd been at, and it was as if I was completely collapsing in on myself simply by hearing my name said. Spoken through lips that I never thought I would ever hear again.

"Welcome back… Mello." I forced myself to say while holding back all emotion at the same time. "I left clothes there for you." I stated, continuing to face the tombstone. I couldn't face him yet. If I did… who knew what I would do or say… this was simply the safest thing.

I heard the shuffling behind me as he took the clothes I'd left and, more likely than not, began putting them on.

"_You_ brought me back, Near?" He asked with that familiar tone of annoyance, yet surprise heavy in his voice; I had expected nothing less from him.

"Yes." I said.

"Why? How?"

I wasn't sure where to begin. I wanted to answer his questions but there was still another side of me that wanted to bombard him with my own. Did he still hate me? What was it like to die? Had he seen anything that I'd done over the past year?

"How, is not a question that I can answer at this moment." I stated. I was not ready to tell him that I had sacrificed half of my remaining life just to get his help. "And as to why… I did it because I am in need of your help, Mello." His name, when directed back to him, felt so good on my tongue.

It felt right. It felt as though I had been craving to say it for the entire year and yet I had never once felt the overwhelming desire until now.

"_You_?" He asked, "Need _my_ help?"

When the shuffling finally stopped, I finally allowed my eyes to slip open again. The tombstone with his name was still there; nothing had changed in front of me.

Then I allowed myself to slowly turn around.

And there he was… standing with his arms crossed across his chest in annoyance dressed in the blue jeans and slightly large black shirt I'd brought while his intense aqua blue eyes starred down, unfaltering, at me as he waited for me to respond. His perfect golden locks still framed his face, now more disheveled than it had been many years ago, and he still had the burn across the left side of his face.

But that didn't matter to me… Mello was alive again… I'd brought him back.

I stood up as I made to answer, "Yes."

"With what?" He asked as I picked up my white bag again and assured that it was securely closed.

"I am currently working on a case that I can get nowhere on without your assistance." I explained vaguely. There would be a time and place for me to explain everything to him, but that wasn't at this moment. Right now, all I wanted to do was leave before anyone inside the building could wake up and notice this.

"Hm." Was all he said in response. His eyes then moved around me to the stone I was standing in front of.

"So," He said, "This is where I was buried?" He asked, stepping forward and pushing me out of the way so he could look at his stone. I didn't mind… feeling the warmth of him as he pushed me only further assured me that he was alive and that this was real.

He looked back, taking notice to Wammy's then back at the stone. There was a solemn look on his face now. "How did I get back here?" He asked. But I could hear the thoughts on his mind in the question, _'I never thought I'd come back here…'_

"I identified you and Matt's bodies after the incidents and had them sent back here… I figured it was only right." I explained.

At that, I watched his eyes widen, "Matt!" He looked around, "Where the hell is he?"

I was silent, unsure if he was asking if Matt was alive as well, or where he was buried.

"Where's Matt, Near!" He shouted, his glare turning to me.

"I suppose he's buried in the back with A." I stated, I hadn't taken notice to it, nor had I gone to see his grave, and thus I couldn't really be sure.

He continued to glare at me, "Why? Why is he not right here!" He pointed to the empty ground beside him.

"This is the plot for L and the people who succeed him, I suppose." I said, though unsure about my own answer.

"I didn't succeed L, Near, you did! You get buried there! I should be in the back with him! And, damn it, he should be right beside me!"

I wasn't sure what to say to calm him down again, so I said the only thing that came to my mind, "I did not have jurisdiction over where each of you was buried." I held back the comment about how I had not even attended their funerals.

He glared harder at me before taking off in a rush to the back of Wammy's. I watched him for a moment, realizing that he probably did need something like this, a time to see his friend's last resting place and to mourn… if even in the slightest, and that it would be better done now rather than later.

So I followed him to the back of Wammy's, but once it came into sight, he had already made it to the other small plot in the back. He was kneeling down in front of one of the graves that I was positive was his best friend's.

I slowly walked forward, stopping when I heard him speaking in a tone that was near silence.

"I'm sorry, Matt…" Mello said, "I didn't mean for this to happen…" His hand lightly touched the stone and there was a small silence that passed. "He should've been the one you brought back, Near, not me. He deserves life a lot more than I do." His voice was so much softer now, I'd never heard him like this.

I continued to stay silent. I didn't want to tell him that his best friend was not the best choice only because Matt could not help me in the same way he could.

Mello was silent for another few minutes before turning his head back to face me, though only enough for one of his eyes to show past his blonde hair. "What the hell do you want?" He asked in a venomous tone.

"I require your assistance, Mello."

"And what do _I_ get out of it?"

I paused for a moment, considering everything for a long moment. It was nothing I could be sure of… but in the very least it was something that I could offer to him. "You get to be L."

He drew back a bit from Matt's tombstone, looking fully at me now, "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means exactly as it sounds." I explained.

"So I help you… and then I get to be L?" His glare intensified, "I don't want to be _given_ the title of L!"

"I understand that. But by solving this case then you will have earned it. Mello, it will make sense later, I doubt there is any way to fully explain things at this moment." I explained, hoping that he took that bait. It was really the best that I could offer him.

Finally, he stood up again, running his fingers once more over the smooth stone before turning fully back to me, "Fine."

A/N: So, is anyone surprised to see Matt talked about in this? Anyone who knows me or my writing knows that I despise Matt. So, part of me got to be happy because I got to talk about how he was dead, and another was happy because I knew that that's exactly what Mello would do. Overall I think it was a win for both sides!

Also, I realize that some people are going to be like, "That was kind of MxM" let me tell you right now: No it wasn't. I despise MxM and I wouldn't write it, which means this couldn't be that. (And even if it was supposed to be, I would have made it a lot more noticeable to everyone) I made Mello act the way he did because Matt was both his best friend and his right-hand man. He honestly DIDN'T mean for Matt to die and thus feels guilty about it. Plus, that mixed with the sadness of seeing his best friend's grave… I know from personal experience that that can be how one reacts. That's all. No MxM there.

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	8. Two Different Worlds

A/N: (First off... oh God... I'm so happy FF is back... those days that i couldn't even login felt horrible to me...) Anyway, I'm sorry for the delay in posting this, but, I think that from here on out, things are going to get a bit more difficult. See, I have some things planned, but not as clearly as I did for every chapter before this one. And I end up constantly having to redo things. Like, this entire chapter? No, it had to be redone 3 times before I was finally satisfied and it was completely different than the final product ended up being.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters in this story!

Chapter 8: Two Different Worlds

"So," Mello said from where he was sitting across from me, in the train car that we were now on, "Tell me about this case." His eyes looked down to the table, where his fingers nimbly unwrapped small pieces of chocolate that were scattered around the table.

I watched him, memorizing how gentle his fingers moved with the chocolate and the thin paper around it. "There is a new Kira that has appeared and his main target is lower level gang and mafia members." I explained.

A small smirk crossed his face but he didn't look up as he slipped a piece of the chocolate into his mouth. I watched with interest, wondering what it felt like for him to be able to eat that after a year of being dead.

Was it any different? Or was it just like any other time?

"So why do you need _my_ help?" He asked, with a tone in his voice as though he was just trying to hear me say it, more than because he genuinely didn't know.

"Because I do not have connections into that underground type of life, nor do I have the ability to send anyone else in to find out for me."

"So what are you hoping _I'll_ be able to do about that?" He undid another one of the chocolates and slipped it between his lips.

"Perhaps be able to find anything out based on the list of victims, or assist in finding any leads."

He finally looked up at me, his movements on another piece of chocolate pausing momentarily with the gold foil only halfway undone. "Where is this Kira? Or is it everywhere, like it was last time?"

"Las Vegas."

His smirk returned and grew even more, and at that moment I saw a light shine in his eyes, "Really?"

I nodded.

"So we're going to Vegas, then?"

Again, I nodded. "We have to go to New York first, though."

"Yeah, whatever." He looked down again and began undoing the rest of the paper; I could tell the light was still within his eyes. He must've been overjoyed about being able to go there. Knowing him, he was probably already planning things to do once arriving there, but I dismissed the wonder instantly.

I stayed silent, looking across the tabletop as the train continued along the England land, each small, square piece was scattered about randomly… I didn't like it like that at all.

Without giving it a second thought, my hand reached out and began stacking one piece on top of another in the hopes of creating a tower out of them.

But I'd hardly gotten three pieces stacked before suddenly Mello's hand slapped mine hard. The moment I looked up in surprise, his eyes locked with mine. "You should know by now not to touch my chocolate." He said venomously.

Of course… where had my mind been? This was Mello… no one messed with his chocolate. How quickly I'd forgotten…

"I apologize." I said quietly, drawing my hand back. "May I ask you something?" I then asked.

He slipped another piece of chocolate into his mouth, but his eyes continued to watch me. "What?" He asked, giving me the okay to ask.

"Do you feel the desire to eat chocolate even more now?"

He eyed me for a moment before leaning back on the padded bench he was sitting on. "What kind of question is _that_?"

"What I mean is… has your desire to eat chocolate increased now after being gone for a year? Or is it just… the same as always?"

He had to think about it for a moment, "Yeah, kind of. It just feels like I haven't had any for a week or more. But then again, it feels like I haven't had anything at all for that long… or longer."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it feels as though I haven't eaten in a forever, and same with drinking. But," He said as he put another piece into his mouth, "Chocolate always comes first."

"I understand." I said as my eyes drifted away from him and went to the outside, where the sky was beginning to lighten and show the arising morning.

As my fingers rose up to twirl my hair I began to wonder about what would happen to me now. How much longer did I have? What would I crave once I was gone? Twirling my hair? The need to stack things? I was unsure.

-

Once we reached the train station in London, we had to then take a taxi to the airport. Mello complained almost the entire time about how much of a pain this was since we did not have our own means of transportation.

I ignored him, which was easy enough, but I couldn't help thinking about how familiar this all seemed to me. Just hearing his voice… it brought back the memories of when we were kids and he would yell and complain.

I sighed and let the city pass us by. I would be glad when we got back to the states. Of course I liked England and all it had done for me… but there were matters to be taken care of in the states, and they couldn't be ignored.

The airport, once we arrived, was crowded already despite how early it was. I stopped once we entered through the glass doors, as I was unable to stop my eyes from scanning each of the people.

I wasn't sure why… but I felt even more nervous than I had the first time around. Mainly… it was because when I had gotten _off_ the plane in London, all I had to do was follow the crowd to get out.

But now we were alone, going the other way through this hell. Now… every time I'd flown I always had someone else there. Rester, mainly. He always dealt with the 'checking in' and all of that.

I simply didn't have the social ability to move at the same fast-paced speed that the rest of the airport did.

Mello looked at me, obviously confused and annoyed. "What are we just standing here for?" He took a step away from me, but I instantly followed. The last thing I wanted was to be separated.

He eyed me again. "Do you even know what the hell you're doing?" He asked.

"Meaning?" I asked vaguely, looking into his blue eyes.

He let out a noise of frustration. "Of course not. I'm surprised you even _got_ here without freaking out." He said more to himself. "Give me the tickets."

So, he was going to take control over this. How odd… and yet responsible at the same time. At least he wasn't purposefully trying to detain us here just to annoy me.

I reached into my white bag and took out mine.

He gave me a confused look, "You only got one?" He asked incredulously.

I nodded, "It would have been suspicious if I had had two tickets purchased instead of one." I explained. Mello, I figured, had listened but led the way over to the ticket desk.

"Wait…" He said, looking back at me as we progressed quickly through the line, "So you didn't even tell any of those pawns that work for you about this?" He asked incredulously.

"How could I?" I countered.

"And we're going to New York, where your headquarters is?" He asked, completely ignoring my previous question.

"Yes." I stated, beginning to catch on to what he was saying.

"And how the fuck do you plan on explaining to them that I've suddenly come back from the dead?" He asked, probably louder than it needed to be. "Damn, Near, you haven't even explained to _me_ how the hell you brought me back!"

"I already told you, Mello, 'how' is not a question that I can answer at this moment. As for the team, two of them were not around during the Kira case and thus they have no familiarity with you, but as for Rester… I will keep him quiet. He can question all he wants but he won't get anything from it." I stated surely, looking away and beginning to twirl a lock of hair.

Mello just gave a huff as we went up to the counter and quickly purchased a ticket on the same plane as mine was. Though, I had to change mine in order to make sure they were closer together.

When given the chance, I did not want to have to sit by some strangers that I had no familiarity with.

Once again we were left in silence when we moved away from the counter in order to make our way to the plane. I supposed I should be happy for all of this, and should be taking advantage of it… it was not often that Mello and myself ever really had the chance to be by one another.

Back at Wammy's, we had class together because our minds were intellectually on the same level, but we were always on opposite sides of the room from one another. And even when we weren't in class, it was always as if we were living in two different worlds –miles away from one another.

What he strived for, and what I strived for were the only real things that linked us. I never really saw the competition between us only because I was the one succeeding through it… but reflecting back on it, I suppose I see it now.

We were competing to achieve a form of success. Though, what that form was, was completely different from one another. I knew I was striving to become the next L, and to be the best… because that was, realistically, the only option for me.

But what was Mello striving for? What did he fight so hard against me for? Doing it just so he could become the next L, and thus beat me, seemed way too easy to see.

In any case, now… he was alive once more with nothing, really, to connect him back to the outside. He was alive only to help me, which left his only reason with me, and made it so that we were forced into relative close proximity.

I wasn't too sure why I liked this thought… Mello was still Mello, whether he'd been dead for a year or not. He still hated me, and I suppose we were still living on those two different worlds.

My hope before, when I'd planned to bring him back, was to get his assistance and to mend some of those bad relations that we had had…

But now that he was here before me, and I was thrown back into that nature that we had always had, that said to not speak and to hate one another, those hopes were beginning to be diminished.

-

Within the next hour we were on our plane bound for New York once more… Mello sat beside me, in the window seat and looking out it with an expression in his blue eyes as though he were miles away from here.

I couldn't contain my wonder anymore. We were both trapped on here for God only knew how many hours, the best thing I could do, would be to try and get some answers out of him while he had nowhere to go.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked, my eyes continuing to stay trained on him in order to watch how he reacted.

He glared out the window, as though mad about being drawn back to the rest of the world. Then, he turned that glare to me, much as how I had predicted.

"I don't see how it's any of your business." He stated.

"I was wondering."

His glare intensified, "Well stop wondering." He sighed, as though realizing that that wasn't going to do anything. "Quit trying to read into me like one of your damn puzzles, Near, I'm not one of your pawns that can be used anyway you want to."

I nodded, understanding that. "Yes, I believe you're the only one who ever really realized what I did to control people and worked against that."

I looked down at the robots in my hand, but could feel his eyes remaining on me. "Well if I didn't catch on to it I wouldn't have been able to get anywhere close to beating you." He stated.

I nodded once again. "You know," I continued, "Working with you will be increasingly complicated if you continue to be this difficult."

He huffed and looked away, "Whatever. I'm not just going to tell you whatever you want with nothing in return. You should know that by now."

He was right, I should have known that, but again I had forgotten his ways of working. It was a control, or be controlled relationship between us.

And when it wasn't that, on those few occasions where we could bare to be in the same room with one another without him inflicting some kind of harm on me, it was a 'give only when obtaining' type of atmosphere.

Between us, we could never do anything just because… there had to be some reason behind it, or in the very least, something to be obtained.

After a long silence, Mello finally spoke again. "When we're in New York, I want to go back to _my_ headquarters." I gave a confused look even though he'd gone back to looking out the window. Somehow he must have known to continue on. "There are things I need to get."

A/N: So, that might seem like a weird place to end it, but it leaves a bit of mystery, I suppose. I'm not sure what I want to do with the next chapter yet. I think I'm just going to make it all one long chapter. Anyway, writing on this story feels so odd to me, because my passion lies in KATP for some reason…so, I guess writing on a different plot just seems odd to me. Though… in a way, oddly relaxing.

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	9. Cheating and Guilt

A/N: So… I'm kind of debating on how I want to do this chapter… I mean… part of me knows how I want it, but part of me doesn't. I used to have this whole idea planned out, but I only recalled it when I was writing the last chapter, and that wasn't very much either. So I'm only working with a half developed idea. So I'm kind of hoping it turns out as good as I would have wanted at the time of creation.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters within this story. Except the two new members that work with Near, I do own them.

Chapter 9: Cheating and Guilt

By the time we reached the airport in New York again it was about noon and, though I remained quiet, I couldn't help wondering what Mello would do now.

I was trying to hold control over the situation, but as we moved through the airport towards the exit and he was the one who led, I knew I had somehow taken a step back, and he the step forward.

When had that happened?

I pushed the thought away from me as we exited out into the familiar area of New York –all the many crowds, the rushing cars, and everything else that went into defining the New York city by what it was.

Suddenly, Mello's voice brought me back. "Hey, we need a car." He said with enough force to tell me that that had to be the only option.

My eyes narrowed just a bit as I began to read into this. It would be just as easy for me to call Rester and have him, or at least someone, come and get us. But the way Mello worded it; he made it sound like hedidn't _want_ that to happen.

Now why was that?

The only thing I could think to do was go along with this and see what would happen now.

After all, what was the worse that really could happen? What reason would Mello really have for doing anything negative to me now? Sure, he may still hate me, but only being alive again for such a short amount of time didn't really allow such anger to really be coaxed.

So I simply nodded and followed him over to where a line of counters sat, all with car rental names on it. I stood by Mello silently as he requested a car and took care of all the technicalities of it.

I knew that my only job would be to provide the money needed for it –after all, there was really no way that _Mello_ could do it. And if I didn't do it… he would probably resort to stealing it, and I did not feel like going to jail today.

Once Mello had received the keys to the new rental car, we started off again into a giant parking lot where numerous cars were all parked –awaiting their owners, or temporary owners, to come pick them up.

"C41…" Mello said, more to himself as we walked down the aisles and he read the papers that the woman had given to him to keep.

I just remained silent and followed to where we were supposed to be going –and trusting that Mello _knew_ where we were going.

It wasn't long before we finally found the car that Mello had rented –a black car with windows so dark it was nearly impossible to see inside, and a build that would be considered 'sporty'.

The moment we both got in (him in the driver's seat, of course) he turned the car on and instantly cranked up the air conditioning, for reasons I didn't understand –it was perfectly cool outside. What was the need for it?

But I didn't say anything as he pulled out of the parking lot and exited from the airport and out onto the busy highway.

I watched the scenery, as well as the other cars pass us by as our own car picked up speed and weaved in and out of traffic. For a brief moment I considered the thought that Mello might attract the police to us now. But it was odd… that was as far as my worry seemed to go. It didn't even seem like a logical thought that he might crash, or even lose control for any amount of moments.

My eyes drifted over to him and observed the way he seemed so in thought, and so incredibly relaxed at the same time. His crystal eyes were glued to the road, but hardly ever shifted from it, and his actions seemed so stone-like and firm.

What was going on in his mind now?

He'd been so quiet ever since the previous night, when we'd left. What could be going through his mind for such a long period of time? I had to know… it was like not having a piece to a puzzle…but I wanted it, and I was determined to get it.

"What are you thinking now, Mello?" I finally asked… breaking the silence of the car that, before, had only been drowned out from the sound of the engine.

It took a long time for Mello to finally answer me, and when he did he continued to act, and look the way he had before. "None of your business."

'_He's acting like a child…'_ I couldn't help but think to myself. But I didn't dare tell him that, for I knew that would set him off quicker than… well… quicker than I could even imagine.

I simply let that go… if he planned on ever telling me, than he would do it when he wanted. He knew me way too well to fall into any tricks I could ever play to get him to spill his thoughts. If I attempted that, it would only cause him to become more defensive.

"Where are we going?" I then asked, deciding the change the subject and then see if I could get anywhere from there.

He didn't look at me as he responded with a simple: "To my base, like I told you."

My eyes stayed firmly on him and I tried to read all of the emotion that he, for once, wasn't showing me. What did that mean? Where was he taking me now? His base? What would be there now, after so long?

-

It was about a half hour later when we finally reached, what I figured, was where Mello's base was. Or… at where it _used_ to be.

I stepped out of the car and observed my surroundings. We were in what would be considered the rougher side of the city, and I knew this area was known for gang-related activities based on old case files I had read for no particular reason. The building before us that we'd parked by appeared to be like an abandoned apartment building, with dark, rough bricks and nothing around it that looked safe at all.

"Come on." Mello called to me, from the door that led into the building. I looked over to where he was before following.

He closed the door once more, which left us in almost complete darkness considering the fact that there were no windows to provide light to the area.

But somehow Mello knew his way around this place –I knew by the way he instantly walked off, and I followed after the sound of his walking across the cold, cement floor.

We ascended about five or six floors, which were lit by natural lighting a bit more than the first floor had been.

Mello continued walking till finally stopping in front of a doorway about halfway down the hall. I stopped a bit away from the door and watched the way he stalled with his hand on the doorknob. His eyes looked down to it and held so much emotion… so somber of an expression that I had to wonder if it was still even him.

Oh God how I wondered what was going through his mind now. If only he would speak whatever thoughts went through his mind.

Finally, with a heavy exhale he twisted the doorknob and the door loudly creaked open, and into the place he called 'his base'.

"You left the door unlocked?" I wondered aloud as he faltered for a moment before stepping inside.

"Yeah…" His voice was so much more serious, and gave off a sense as though he was willing to tell me anything if I just asked about it. It was strange. "There was never anyone else living on this floor, so it was pretty safe. There used to be high security around it… but I made Matt take it all down before we left." He explained.

I followed him in the apartment and instantly stopped just inside the doorway to let my eyes take in everything that was around here.

It was just like any other apartment that one might see… with the exception that it was a bit more empty and lacked any life at all. The space was clearly meant for business, and it showed in the technology that still sat, frozen in its spot, around the entire place.

Mello moved over to a hall where, I figured, it led back to rooms and such. "Don't touch anything." He said seriously before leaving down the hall.

I hardly heard him though. I was way too captivated by everything that I was seeing here.

I walked around the room, noting on all of the dust and cobwebs that chocked the room of any life and instantly hammered home the thought that the once occupants of this place really _had _been gone for that long… and even one would never get to come back.

I walked over to an arm chair that had a thin coating of dust over it and which sat in front of a table that held a single computer and an abandoned headset beside it.

'_This is where Mello and Matt did all that work… in the attempt of getting further on the Kira case.'_ I thought to myself as my fingers gently traced the back of the chair.

I tried to imagine what it must have been like for Mello to sit in this closed off place day in and day out, not only have to realize that he was only getting so far with the information he had, but to know that his rival was getting further ahead of him by leaps and bounds.

And as I looked over to the headset, and the computer, I felt my heart grip in my chest at the thought that it all, really, was my fault that Mello must have thought that.

I was the one who alerted him to the fact that Misa Amane was connected to Kira. It was almost the same thing I'd done to my team members with _this_ Kira case. Giving a fake lead and letting them follow it to the end while I take the true route.

Did that mean that I cheated?

Did I cheat my way into victory?

Here Mello was… working as passionately as ever… not only because he wanted to solve the only case that L could not, but because he wanted to beat me. And all I had done was send him off in a different direction.

A direction that, while it could have lead back to Light Yagami being Kira, it mainly dealt with Misa and all she had around her.

I suddenly felt incredibly guilty… and felt as though, somehow in the end, it had been my fault. All my fault that all of this happened the way it happened.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Mello's voice, and question surprised me, and I jumped a bit in surprise; then turned to him.

It was like an image out of my memory, which had begun to fade away from me and become vaguer. Except now it felt like that memory was being refreshed for all that it had been. Or… in the better fantasy, it was as though everything before now had been the dream, and _this_ was the reality.

That was the shocking effect that it had upon me.

Mello stood there at the entrance of the hall, now re-dressed in his normal leather attire that he'd always worn before his death a year ago. He fit it exactly the same way he had done before, the pants tight on him, the vest the same way, his black jacket hanging on his frame, and a gun hidden somewhere on his person.

It was in that moment that I knew…

The old Mello was back.

A/N: Ah, well that was good. This might seem like a bit of a filler chapter but I kind of just wanted to show the transition back to the Mello we all know, as well as the transition in Near's character where he begins to look at Mello a completely different way –now with more guilt, as I said. Personally, I kind of liked how it turned out.

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	10. The Usual Competition

A/N: Wow… It's been since March since this story has been updated. Believe me when I say that I am very sorry about that long time. I ran out of ideas as to what to do at this point and I figured I would just start again when I had an epiphany on it. But that never happened. Thanks to Mrsrocklee20 for kicking me until I decided to do this again. And for helping me with ideas!

Note: _italics at the end of this chapter_ = Flashback

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or the majority of the people used in this story.

Chapter 10: The Usual Competition

Mello walked up and leaned against one of the chairs, his skeptical eyes searching me for something that I couldn't read. More than likely, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

In that moment, I was glad that I was able to put up a god façade to hide everything going through my mind.

It was as if we were silently back to our old games. Each of us thinking… planning, almost, and trying to figure out what the other was thinking at the same time.

It was as if we hadn't yet consciously realized that, for once, we were working on the same side. This wasn't a contest between us anymore. We were a team. And yet I knew that Mello was still in the same mindset as he always used to be.

That was just him.

Leaning against one of the chairs near me, I watched the way he seemed to rock back and forth as if he wanted to move again. Then again, Mello's never been one to like staying in one place for too long. Unless it was necessary, or important to him, then he was fine.

His blue eyes, piercing in their nature to anyone that didn't know him, were locked only with mine. For a brief moment it was as if we were perfectly mirrored. With each tick I made with my eyes he mimicked the action.

Oh God, how I'd missed this. I couldn't have this much fun with anyone else.

Finally his look hardened on me, as if seeing past this little one-on-one game between us. Of course he always had to be the one to ruin my fun.

"So what the hell are we going to do now?" He asked, sounding particularly annoyed. Maybe he thought I was seeing something that I shouldn't. When in reality, all I saw in his eyes was the hollow reflection of myself.

I finally tore my stare away from him and looked down to the dusty wooden floor beneath us. What a good question. What _were_ we going to do now?

I would have chuckled to myself if such a thing was like me. I was so good at planning, and manipulating so things went my way. But in the presence of Mello… things were fogged, and harder to plan.

Why?

I pushed the thoughts and wonder away so I could properly think about this. What were we going to do? I supposed… ideally, the thing to do would be to head back to the SPK building in order to look over the criminals.

I spoke before I could even finish the thought. "We should go to the SPK first. We can look over the victims before and organize some better plan of action there."

Mello rolled his eyes, and I knew before he even spoke that he was going to contradict that with the most polar opposite thing he could think of. That was just how he always was. That's how we worked.

Always that unspoken competition.

"That would be a waste of time." He stated. "What we _should_ do is just head straight to Vegas and have your worker people meet us the-." He cut himself off, looking back at me seriously. "Do you still have those same people working for you?"

I knew what he was getting at. I'd already thought about it too. "Rester is the only one that still works for me." I stated.

"So how do you plan on explaining my sudden reappearance to him? He knows I died in that fire." He stated.

I looked down to the floor as he said that. Memories suddenly flooded past my sights. I remembered setting off time for him… for that time when _I_ had to go and identify Mello and Matt's bodies.

Rester had taken me there… and while he hadn't seen it… he knew that it'd happened. "I haven't figured that out yet." I stated, trying to bring myself back to _this_ reality instead of thinking back to that one… that nightmare.

Mello didn't seem to notice my revert back into my mind. "See? That's even more reason for us to just go and let them meet us there!" He countered.

My eyes trailed back to him as I thought about this. Things were probably already looking highly suspicious for Rester and the others. But… I could always just assert my authority over them and…

I paused. That wasn't like me. Things just fell into place! This was a puzzle! Just one huge puzzle. However, the pieces were highly scattered, and I supposed that it was that that was making this so frustrating for me.

"Hey." I looked up to Mello, and all of a sudden a black cell phone was thrown my way. Catching it, I looked to him for explanation. "Call your goons and tell them to set something up for us and meet us there." He said.

I looked down at the phone. "They're not going to know this number, that's a little bit suspicious." I told him, knowing that Rester would probably order the call traced. Which meant I needed to act quickly.

Mello simply shrugged –obviously not caring. "Let them wonder a little."

I looked down at the phone, trying not to wonder where he'd gotten this. It was definitely an older model. I supposed maybe he had it somewhere around here and it was just another thing that was left to be forgotten.

I flipped it open and dialed the number that I knew went directly to the investigation room of the SPK.

Predictably, Rester was the one who answered. "Who is this?" Good, I thought to myself. Don't bother with formalities; just get straight down to business.

"It's Near." I said simply, waiting to see what his next words would be. I knew not to waste time, but I was curious to know what he would say.

"Sir!" He said, I heard him tell the others to track the call. I had to stop that now. Sure, they didn't know where Mello's hideout was, but that wasn't the point. The point was that I didn't want to feel like I was being watched.

"No, do not track this." I told him; even I could hear how suspicious this was sounding. _'Wonderful, Mello, just wonderful.'_ I thought to myself.

Rester was obviously taken aback by my words, but he didn't say anything. I took this as my moment to fill in the blanks and get it over with. "Rester, I'm heading out to Nevada now. I need you to organize a place for this investigation to happen." I explained quickly.

"You're going now?" He asked. "Alone?"

"No, I'm not alone." I looked forward and watched Mello's eyes flick back to me. _'Yes, Mello, you wonder about what is going to happen now.'_ I thought.

"Who are you with, sir?" He asked in pure wonder.

"I can not disclose that information at this time." I stated as the fingers of my free hand began twirling a lock of hair. "Just organize what I have told you, and meet us out there as soon as you can."

He was quiet for a long moment. "Yes, sir. We'll call you as soon as we are." He finally said.

I nodded instinctively. "Thank you, Rester." And without another word I shut the phone –thus cutting the connection. I felt sort of… bad for having to be this secretive around my own second in command. But what else could I do? I had yet to find a way to tell him about Mello.

Speaking of which I looked back to him, our eyes locking for a long minute before he spoke. "Come on, let's go." He turned from me and headed towards the front door.

I couldn't help wondering what he was thinking about now. But I bit my tongue, figuring that if I asked, he would find some way to take it the wrong way and blow up about it.

It just wasn't worth that.

When we stepped out of the apartment, Mello simply continued on as though he'd be back in no time. I had to wonder if he thought that was actually true. Or if it was so easy to turn your back on such a… memory-harboring place.

Obviously it couldn't be too hard for him… he'd done it twice before already.

Once, when he'd left Wammy's when we were still kids; when we still had a sense of innocence and were kept away from the realities of the rest of the world.

And the other being when he and Matt had left the night they went to kidnap Takada. I had to wonder what that must have been like. Had Mello known that his time left was severely limited? Had he accepted it? How?

I wanted to ask him so bad, but again I bit back the questions. There was always a time and place for things like that –and this certainly didn't seem like that time.

We continued down and to his car in silence. I wanted to say something to break this silence that seemed to be suffocating me. "How are we getting there?" I asked, blurting the first thing that came to my mind.

As he turned the car on he simply shrugged. "Haven't figured that out yet." He told me. I had to wonder if he was lying or not –saying that just to get to me or something.

Though, at the moment I didn't seem to care, for some reason. My thoughts were beginning to be flooded by things I didn't favor thinking about, and yet couldn't seem to push away.

I rested back in the seat with my eyes looking out onto the road as he drove along silently. My fingers found their way to my hair. Before I knew it, my eyes had slipped closed, and memories from a long off nightmare were taking the place of my reality.

_During the Kira case I was in a battle with Kira… that was my first priority. The competition against Mello was something on the side that kept me busy –and kept me interested. _

_When he was taken out, it hardly seemed to bother me. He was just another player in this game. And, this time, he had lost. I had won now, ultimately. _

_But now, things were very different. It took me till right up until the end of the case to realize how much Mello had helped me with this. It had been __us__ that'd brought down Kira. He'd helped –definitely. _

_And upon the end of the case I realized that I would never be able to properly thank him for that. The least that I could do was attribute the win to him. _

_Now that Kira was finally gone, things were so much quieter. So much more boring. But I knew that ultimately there was still something that I needed to take care of. And, of course, it had to do with __him__. _

_Even when he was gone, it seemed that Mello could never let me be. He always had to find a way to mess with me –in one way or another._

_I was the only one… so I'd volunteered to identify his and Matt's bodies. I didn't want to… I really didn't. But I knew that if I didn't they would be buried in unmarked graves and God only knows where. _

_They deserved more than that, I knew. That was why I had to do it. I had to identify them and make sure that they could be buried on Wammy House grounds._

_That was why I was having Rester take me to the morgue now; only a few days after the Kira case too._

_The next thing I knew I was being led up the steps to the building. I didn't like being here. Not one bit. Just the thought of coming to this place didn't sit well with me to begin with._

_I stopped at the door as Rester held it open for me. My eyes were pointed slightly down –to the snow covered steps. My breath came out in visible clouds of white, and for some reason this fascinated me. Each breath going in and out… keeping me alive._

_I shook the absurd thought away. "Near?" Rester suddenly asked. I knew what he was thinking. He thought that this was painful for me. _

_But he didn't understand. There was no way that he could. He hadn't known me long enough, and certainly had never known Mello. Because of that, he could never understand the relationship between us, and what I was feeling._

_I wasn't even sure if I knew what I was feeling._

"_Stay here, Rester." I told him, looking up and into the seemingly empty building emotionlessly. Detached. That's the perfect word. I was utterly detached from the situation. _

_I had to be, I wasn't sure if there was any other way for me to deal with this situation other than complete detachment. I suppose I was trying to convince myself that this was the professional way to deal with this situation._

_Without another word to Rester I stepped into the building and proceeded through. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I needed to move. If I didn't, I would begin to think about where I was… and why I was here. And I didn't want that so much._

_A man, about middle aged, finally appeared to the side. "Oh, hello." He said in a happy tone. I wondered how anyone could appear so happy when they worked in a place like this. "Are you here to identify the two males?" He asked._

_I simply nodded in response._

"_Alright, come this way." His tone fell slightly and he led me away from the main entrance and into a separate, colder room that was line with tiles and multiple side metal doors, where I figured bodies were being held. _

_I shuddered at the thought, but allowed myself to step closer –taking a deep breath and biting my lip. But I wasn't sure why. Wasn't I trying to be detached?_

_The man went over to the wall of doors and opened two. Heh, it didn't surprise me that the two of them were next to each other even now. _

_Though, I had to look away the moment they became visible. It was just too much for me to look at. These two were some of the ones that I'd grown up with… and now they were gone. It was hard for me to think about. _

_The man was watching me but I couldn't bring myself to look back, or to even step a bit closer. I knew it was them. Matt, because he still looked like him. Mello… it was just intuitive. I would always know him._

_But… it was hard to see him as he was now… burned and all. I hadn't even wanted to look at him when he came to the SPK before, because I'd wanted to preserve how he'd look as a kid… back when things were easier._

_But now things were different and I was being forced to see them as they were in their last moments. It was painful and I felt it grip at my heart for reasons I couldn't begin to try and understand._

"_The furthest one is Matt." I said with my look still turned away. "The other is Mello." I bit my tongue to stop myself._

"_And their last names?" He asked, sounding as though he was logging it down somewhere. I was partly glad that he was –for I did not want to have to repeat anything I said now._

"_They don't have last names." Why did I say that? That was stupid, of course they had last names. It just so happened that I didn't know them, and even if I did, that wouldn't be right. That wasn't part of their names. Well… to me, anyway. _

"_Well… how are we supposed to contact any family?" He asked, confused now. I could feel his dark eyes looking to me as well._

"_They don't have any family." I told him. And it was true. We didn't have any family. We had only had ourselves and the damn completion. Though… I supposed the closest thing Mello had had to that was Matt… and he was gone now too. The thought gripped my heart. _

_I suddenly felt as though I'd led them to their untimely end. _

_I continued before the man could. "I shall contact some people who will come to take the bodies to where they shall ultimately rest." I said._

_He agreed, and I made to turn and leave. However, my eyes finally caught sight of them, and in that moment I couldn't turn away._

_It was them in their last moments… and, rather, the last time that I would ever allow myself to see them again. My eyes were on Mello. I remembered all the brief times we'd ever had together… even though the majority of them weren't too good._

_But that didn't matter. The closest person I had was now dead before me –taking with him what felt like my very life. Not only that, but the memories, and our competition, and the games that we always had._

"_Sir?" The man asked and I forced myself to look at him. I shook my head, to dismiss the thoughts, then forced myself to leave from the room once more. I just couldn't take it anymore._

_As I left from the room I felt like I was turning my back on everything… on everything I'd once known. Well… turning my back on what had been my life._

A/N: Well, I think that was pretty good for the three month absence that this took!! I'm going to try and begin updating this as regularly as I possibly can, but with 6 stories undone, I'm not sure how well I'm going to be able to do that. Please bear with me! I swear I'll get stuff done soon! What's even better, after this, the chapters should be a bit easier! I even have the next one planned out too!

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	11. A City Built For Tourists

A/N: I only have a rough idea of what I want to do for this chapter. The more I think about this story the more I realize that I only have a vague idea of what I want to happen from now on. I really need to sit down and focus on this story –and figure out how I want things to go. If anyone wants to help me, please feel free to contact me. I'm going to need a lot of help.

Note: Just a small note before we begin. I have never been to Las Vegas, but I have watched shows on it, and watched shows about the casinos and what not. All of the things that I write in here are being pulled from that, as well as from imagination. Please do not send me any reviews telling me about things that I may have gotten wrong. Other than that, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters that are in this story.

Chapter 11: A City Built for Tourists

The lights of Las Vegas were like nothing that I could have imagined before. Well… I'd seen them on TV before, but seeing them in real life was much different of a feeling.

Even the lights of New York City didn't compare to this. That city is lit by skyscrapers filled only with business for the economy or this country, and things of that nature. But this… this was completely the opposite.

The huge hotels and casinos that shown their lights were only to attract people, in order to make their own business. If New York City was the business side of America, then Las Vegas was the entertainment. It was the place that people went to on their vacation from reality in order to escape themselves into this… what I can only describe as chaos.

It was hard for me to completely understand, considering the fact that we were here for the complete opposite of entertainment. But none the less my eyes could not be torn from looking out the window of the taxi that Mello and I were currently in.

Rester had called us earlier, when we got here, and gave me the information about the hotel that he had booked for our investigation to be carried out in.

Apparently it was one of the villas in one of these tall buildings. I couldn't really see what the big deal was about it. It was just another investigation room to me. But Mello seemed to be excited as ever about it.

It made me wonder if he was even serious about this at all, or if he was just using this as an excuse to party here.

If that was the case than we were certainly going to have some problems.

Finally, we pulled up under the covered area of one of the hotels. Mello and I slid out of the car and again my eyes continued to take in everything that was around me.

I hadn't caught the name of the hotel, but it was brightly lit –just like the rest of the city, and towered high into the nighttime, starless sky. As we entered into the lobby –which was full of obvious tourists who stood around looking at maps and trying to decide what to do next, I wondered just how high or low our room would be.

The ground level of Vegas was certainly loud and full of commotion. I could only hope that it would get quieter the further we moved up.

"I can't believe you're really going in here like that." Mello suddenly said, knocking me out of my thoughts and wonder. As I looked over to him he continued, "I mean, the least you could have done is put some shoes on." He said as he slung my white bag further over his shoulder.

I wondered for a moment why he was the one carrying _my_ stuff. Not only was it not like him at all, but… it was mine, and I just didn't like the thought of it. Though I knew part of me didn't mind at the same time. I supposed I'd been so focused on the new surroundings around me that he'd just picked it up –knowing that otherwise it would be forgotten.

My eyes then looked down to my feet, which only had white socks over them –just the way that I like it. I wasn't completely sure why it was such a big deal. Was it offensive in some way?

"Everyone here is so distracted I'm sure that no one will even notice." I said simply.

Mello just shrugged as we went up to the counter in order to obtain the key to our room. "Hey, we need to get a room we have reserved." He said to the woman behind the counter.

The woman looked at us for a moment, eyeing us as though she was judging just what kind of people we were. What was she seeing? No doubt she probably thought Mello was some kind of thug or something with all his leather and what not. And me? Maybe some kid that tagged along for reasons she just couldn't comprehend.

When, in fact, it was actually quite the opposite. Mello had to come with _me_ because he owed it to me. I did give him half my life, after all. Well actually… he doesn't know that.

Finally, she looked back to the computer. "What would it be under?" She asked.

Mello's blue eyes looked back to me, in question. However, before I could answer he looked back. "Near?" He asked. That would have been my guess as well.

She clicked away at the computer in front of her for a minute before turning back to us. "I'm sorry but I don't see anything here under that name. Are there any other names that it might be? Or would you like to get another room?" She asked.

"No!" Mello said, then instantly turned to me. "What else would that damn agent of yours book it under?" He said, obviously annoyed.

"Rester?" I asked.

"Yes, Near, what else would-." He finally caught on to my vague response. "Oh, right!" He turned back to the woman. "Is there anything under 'Rester'?"

Again the woman went back to the computer and began checking for it. She spoke without looking to us. "Ah! Yes here you are. Oh wow, you've rented out the villa for quite a long time." She looked at us, "Extended stay?"

Mello was obviously confused, so I decided to answer this time. "Yes. We have a lot of business to do here." I answered easily, yet vague enough.

"I see." She answered, and then took a card key from under the desk she was standing at, handing it to us. "Well here you are. Please enjoy your stay!"

I nodded, then Mello and I stepped away from the counter to head for the elevator.

"How long do you think Rester booked it for?" Mello asked, and I could feel him looking over at me. I had to pause to think about it.

It was hard to really say. I'd been solving all different kinds of cases since the end of the Kira one, and all were done from the SPK building. This was the first time we'd actually moved around for a case. So, I wasn't sure when to predict.

I finally shrugged, "I'll ask when he and the other two get here." I looked down at the card key in my hand as we entered into the elevator. I turned the white plastic around and around in my hand. All it said was the hotel's name. "How are we supposed to know where the room is, Mello?" I finally had to ask.

He looked over, "Seriously?" He scoffed. "The villas are always at the top of the hotels. And there's usually only a couple, so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out." He explained.

"I see." I said simply, then looking up to the display –where it showed which floor we were on. I was anxious to get to the room. It'd been a while, and I hadn't been monitoring the number of victims that'd come in over the past few days. I wanted to get to work, and begin making work on it.

When the elevator finally reached the very top, the doors slid open to a long hallway. From what I could see there were only three doors here. As we walked, I saw –one door was black, one was red, and the next one we approached was white.

"This must be it." Mello said, stopping me.

'_I see now._' I thought to myself. _'The color of the card matches the color of the door for which it goes to. Clever.'_

Mello took the card from me and slipped it in –which opened the door. We were both silent as we entered –anxious to see what it was like inside.

I had never really been to a hotel before. There was simply no need for it, considering the limited amount of movement from place to place I did. But I knew instantly that this was not the normal type of room that people got when they stayed at hotels.

When the door was opened it entered into an entry way, with a huge living space just beyond it, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out to the Vegas strip. Stepping in further, I could see that an open area to the left was done up as a small kitchen. And to the right was a small hallway with a set of doors –more than likely leading to the actual bedrooms.

Mello was still completely silent, and I could see that now it was his turn to stare and take everything in. I stepped away from where I'd been beside him in order to go down the hallways and see the rooms.

Surprisingly, there was only two.

The first I entered was large –with high ceilings to make the room seem larger. The bed against the far wall was probably a king size –done up in thick, yet soft looking white suede sheets. This room had the same windows as the living area, and a bathroom connected to it at the side.

I then moved to the other room, and saw that it was pretty much the same thing, just done in red sheets this time, with darker painted walls.

I instantly knew which room was going to be mine.

I went back out to the living space, where Mello had begun to walk around and take it all in. I took my bag from him and placed it in the first room I'd seen. It just fit so much better. Then I returned back to him.

I sat down on one of the white couches that was sitting around the living area, and watched as Mello wandered over to the window –looking out at the view now.

"When do you think those agents of yours will get here?" He asked suddenly without turning to me.

I looked up to him. From where I was I couldn't see much of the city below us, but I saw the way Mello stood out against the black night sky. The window became like a mirror, and I was able to pick out his frontal features the more I watched him. "I'm not sure, Rester didn't say. It may take them a few hours." I answered.

Mello's eyes flicked up, so our eyes locked through the mirror of a window. "Well then, that means we've got some time to go scan the city."

I gave him a slightly confused look. "What do you mean?" I asked slowly. He had a look about his piercing eyes that screamed mischief. And I wasn't sure if I wanted to let him talk me into being a part of that.

"Well… you said that this new Kira is killing off lower members of gangs, or whatever mafia teams might be out here. So… the best thing to do would be to scan the city to see what we can find before we even begin to look at victims, or possible suspects." He paused for a moment. "_Do_ you even have any possible suspects?"

I shook my head.

"Well, even more reason to go looking. We need to understand the people here, Near. It's hard because it's a city built for tourists, but we need to get an idea of how the locals work, or at least look for signs we should be on the lookout for."

I had to stop before responding to him. That… had not been the kind of response I was expecting to get from him. I figured he was going to suggest going to a casino, or something of that nature.

I hadn't thought that his mind was going to even _want_ to focus on this mission so early.

I finally had to come back to myself and the reality of what he'd just said and nod in response. "Yes, that's a good idea." I said as I stood up.

He nodded as well and turned back towards me, beginning to head towards the door. I instantly followed after him.

-

"You look stupid." Mello said suddenly, over the volume of voices around us now that we were heading down one of the busy sidewalks of the city. We hadn't really said much to each other, so I wondered where this had come from.

"What?" I asked, looking to him partly to make sure that I knew he was there and that I wasn't going to get lost in the crowds of people.

"You look stupid. In that apparel you stick out like a sore thumb." His eyes moved to me, and I noticed the way they seemed so much brighter when reflected by the lights around us. "You should really get something else to wear that makes you look… more like you fit in." He stated as he looked forward again.

"I don't care about fitting in with others, Mello." I stated, knowing he should know that. And also that that was probably not what he'd meant.

"Yeah well if you don't want to get noticed by anyone that could possibly be on the lookout, later on in this case, then you better get a new look." He said, his eyes flicking around.

This time I actually took what he said to heart. He had a good point.

I was beginning to think it over when suddenly Mello grabbed my arm to stop me. "Look." He pointed across the street –which is where my eyes followed.

Across the street –between two tall buildings were two gruff looking men, one speaking while his eyes darted around suspiciously. The other just stood, waiting for something.

"They're selling drugs." Mello informed me suddenly.

I looked up to him, "How do you know?"

He shrugged, "I just do. It's the way that one is looking." He pointed out.

I looked back at the men we were now watching. So they were drug dealers, then. Well… they had to be doing it for a reason; or for somebody even; which meant maybe they were part of something bigger!

My mind began to race, but I pulled on Mello. "Let's go." I said, already heading towards the nearest crosswalk at the end of a block to go across. I wanted to ask them questions while we had the chance. Were they part of a gang? Did they know about the new Kira? Did they know anything about who was doing it?

My mind was swarming with questions.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Mello asked.

I finally stopped as I waited for the opportunity for a safe time to cross. "We're going across so we can ask them if they know anything about the person who's been killing people." I said, yet figuring that that would have been obvious.

"Near! You can't just do that. It doesn't work that way."

But I wasn't listening as the cars stopped and the crowd of people we were in began to move across the street. I was feeling determined. This was our first chance to try and get some information, and I wasn't about to let it slip through my fingers now just because Mello decided to play the cautious one for once.

When we got across Mello finally stopped trying to convince me out of it. He stepped up beside me as we made our way over. I could feel a sense of… seriousness from him. I wondered why that was, or what was going on in his mind now.

"Excuse me." I said as we got close enough to be within hearing range to them.

The man that'd been looking around before, now locked his beady, dark, and heavily set-back eyes upon me. "You lookin' to buy, kid?" He asked, his voice quiet, yet I could still somehow hear his voice –which matched his gruff appearance.

"He's not looking to _buy_ anything." Mello said suddenly, and I looked in time to watch his eyes narrow. I began to want to watch Mello more, now.

This case dealt with a world that Mello knew all too well. It was a world that'd changed him to be the way he was in the end. That being said, I'd never seen him when he was actually _in_ that world, so I wasn't sure how he was then.

Which meant I wasn't too sure if he would be that same way now, around the same kind of people. All I knew about the way he acted was what I could assume based off what I observed during the beginning of our run at the Kira case.

Mello found his way to the top, and controlled everything under him. And if not that, then the people that controlled the things below him. They were simply his tools. It was a game we knew well, and was the quickest way to get the things we want. I know.

So I stayed silent and watched, now.

"Whoa, calm down there, blondie." The other gruff man said. This was a mistake, which I figured might just cause Mello to want to hit him… if he didn't actually do it, that is.

I watched Mello's fists clench by his side, but he said no more. I decided to speak again. "I just want to ask a couple of questions about some murders that have recently been happening." I explained calmly.

The men instantly looked at each other before turning towards the dark alley that they were standing by. "No way, man, we don't want any involvement in no police cases. Try someone else." The same one said before they began heading into the darkness of the alley.

But I couldn't do that. We had them; I wanted my questions answered now.

Without thinking I began to follow them into the alley. I didn't want to let them get away if I didn't have to.

"Hey, Near!" Mello called, obviously annoyed, but he was following too; I could tell by the sound of the footsteps behind me.

"It's not a police case!" I said honestly. This had nothing to do with the police –even though I knew I could use them if I wanted. "I just need to know if you know anything about-."

But before I could finish one of the men stopped suddenly and turned back. This time, a gun was pointed straight at me.

I froze in place, feeling my blood run cold and my eyes widen. _'So I don't even get to finish the case before my time runs out?'_ I wondered painfully.

But I couldn't find any words to say as I heard the sound of the gun being cocked into place. "Well," The man said, "If you're not with the police then you're just another nobody. How about I _give_ the police a murder to investigate?" He said, as a sick grin crossed his face.

All of a sudden I felt myself being tugged back. "Get the fuck out of here." Came Mello's voice, and I instantly took notice of him stepping in front of me. My heart was racing as I watched him. What was he doing?

The gunman eyed Mello up and down for a long, tense minute before letting the gun lower, "Alright. Just because you're kind of hot." He said. I wondered if he knew Mello was a guy.

With that, the two men continued the way they had been down the alley.

Mello and I stayed in place. I took notice to the fact that he was still holding on to my wrist tightly… securely.

His eyes, which were ridden with anger, turned to me. "What the fuck, Near?" He said, loudly; his tone matching his eyes. "You can't just go demanding answers from people! Especially not these kind of people!" He began pulling me back the way we'd come.

"You have to wait till you get them arrested, if their unwilling, before you begin interrogating them! And, just so we're clear, you don't have the authority to arrest people out here. You're not L out here; you're just another mortal person!" I just listened carefully as my heart still raced in my chest.

Of course Mello had yelled at me before. It used to be a daily thing. But never before had it ever hit me as it did now. Perhaps it was because I had almost had my time ripped away from me.

"I'm sorry." I said quietly, unsure if he'd even heard me.

Mello sighed loudly. "You are _so_ not cut out for field work."

A/N: Well that was a long, not to mention very good chapter! I really liked it! I think those two guys could have been done better, but you know they don't matter at the moment so I shouldn't care. Anyway, let me know what you think! Once I figure out what is going to go in the next chapter, it shouldn't take too long for the next chapter to come out.

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


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